FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a conventional luminaire 100. The luminaire 100 is typically used in outdoor security and non-security applications. In particular, the conventional luminaire 100 consists of a light source 102, a base 104, and a neck member 106 connecting the light source 102 to the base 104. It shall be understood that some luminaire design integrate the base 104 with the light source 102 in a manner that the neck member 106 is not required. The conventional luminaire 100 further includes three (3) wires 110a-c for connecting respectively to the line, common and ground wires 154a-c of an alternating current (AC) power source, by way of respective twist-on wire connectors 156a-c. The base 104 is typically secured to a mount 150 using one or more screws 108 threaded into corresponding holes 152 of the mount 150.
It is recognized in the relevant art that the installation of the conventional luminaire 100 can be challenging, time consuming, and expensive. First, an installer has the difficult task of simultaneously supporting the luminaire 100 while connecting the luminaire wires 110a-c to the AC power source wires 154a-c using the twist-on wire connectors 156a-c. Second, the space between the base 104 of the luminaire 100 and the mount 150 is typically relatively small, further making it difficult to properly connect the luminaire wires 110a-c to the AC power source wires 154a-c. Third, because the base 104 hampers the installer's view of the mount 150, it is often difficult for the installer to properly align the mounting screws 108 of the luminaire 100 to the corresponding threaded holes 152 of the mount 150. Such difficulties add to the challenge, time, and labor costs associated with the installation of the conventional luminaire 100.
With regard to conventional luminaires that have a single mounting screw at the center of the base, there is a tendency for such luminaires to rotate easily. This may result in the luminaire not having the most desirable orientation on the mount. For Halogen tubular lamp styles, the lamp may move away from the required horizontal position. Such lamps typically are required to operate in a horizontal position (e.g., within 2 degrees from true horizontal) in order to obtain normal operating life.
Finally, with regard to the flexibility in customizing conventional luminaires, consumers are typically limited to a particular style of luminaire connected to a particular style of actuation device (e.g., motion sensor, ambient light sensor, timer, etc.). Generally, there is not much flexibility in allowing a consumer to select a particular style of lighting fixture in combination with a desired actuation device.